- A
Use an active/active design with multi-Region data replication (for example, global tables for the write-heavy datastore) and route traffic to multiple Regions based on health and latency.
Active/active supports writing in multiple Regions and reduces the blast radius of a Regional failure while enabling continued operations.
- B
Use warm standby with periodic backups of the primary write datastore every 24 hours.
Why wrong: Periodic backups do not provide near-zero data loss and can cause long RPO during an outage.
- C
Use pilot light where the secondary Region runs only infrastructure templates and starts data replication only after detecting failure.
Why wrong: Starting replication after failure defeats the “near-zero data loss” and “write during incident” requirement.
- D
Use a single-writer model in one Region and deploy read-only replicas in the other Region for continuity.
Why wrong: Read-only replicas cannot support continued writes during a Regional outage without failover mechanisms.
SAA-C03 Design Resilient Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design resilient architectures. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A global application experiences frequent writes and must survive a full Regional outage with near-zero data loss. The product team also requires that users can continue to write during the incident using the closest Region. Which approach is most aligned with these requirements?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use an active/active design with multi-Region data replication (for example, global tables for the write-heavy datastore) and route traffic to multiple Regions based on health and latency.
Option A is correct because an active/active design with multi-Region data replication, such as Amazon DynamoDB global tables, allows writes to occur in any Region and replicates them to all other Regions with near-real-time latency (typically sub-second). This meets the requirement for near-zero data loss during a full Regional outage, as data is asynchronously replicated to multiple Regions, and users can continue writing to the closest healthy Region via Route 53 latency-based or geolocation routing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use an active/active design with multi-Region data replication (for example, global tables for the write-heavy datastore) and route traffic to multiple Regions based on health and latency.
Why this is correct
Active/active supports writing in multiple Regions and reduces the blast radius of a Regional failure while enabling continued operations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use warm standby with periodic backups of the primary write datastore every 24 hours.
Why it's wrong here
Periodic backups do not provide near-zero data loss and can cause long RPO during an outage.
- ✗
Use pilot light where the secondary Region runs only infrastructure templates and starts data replication only after detecting failure.
Why it's wrong here
Starting replication after failure defeats the “near-zero data loss” and “write during incident” requirement.
- ✗
Use a single-writer model in one Region and deploy read-only replicas in the other Region for continuity.
Why it's wrong here
Read-only replicas cannot support continued writes during a Regional outage without failover mechanisms.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'multi-Region replication' with 'read replicas only' (Option D) or assume that periodic backups (Option B) provide sufficient durability, failing to recognize that near-zero data loss requires continuous asynchronous replication, not batch-based or on-demand replication.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DynamoDB global tables use a last-writer-wins (LWW) conflict resolution mechanism based on the timestamp of each write, which can lead to data loss if concurrent writes occur in different Regions; to mitigate this, application-level conflict resolution or conditional writes should be implemented. Under the hood, global tables replicate data via DynamoDB Streams and cross-Region replication, with a typical replication latency of under one second for most workloads, but network latency and throttling can increase this during high write volumes.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Resilient Architectures — This question tests Design Resilient Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use an active/active design with multi-Region data replication (for example, global tables for the write-heavy datastore) and route traffic to multiple Regions based on health and latency. — Option A is correct because an active/active design with multi-Region data replication, such as Amazon DynamoDB global tables, allows writes to occur in any Region and replicates them to all other Regions with near-real-time latency (typically sub-second). This meets the requirement for near-zero data loss during a full Regional outage, as data is asynchronously replicated to multiple Regions, and users can continue writing to the closest healthy Region via Route 53 latency-based or geolocation routing.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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